Rogue Shadow: Rising
by Ecorum
Summary: Maxwell is the clone of a force greater than anything even a god can comprehend. His destiny is to replace the Justice League but that doesn't mean they have to like it. Then again, the difference between destiny and fate is that fate is what will happen not what should happen. Oc with a chance of character death. T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

"Your mission Rx120045 is to go to DC world Earth-16." An unseen voice announced to the semiconscious Maxwell. "You will be the ultimate hero. You have no flaws, no weakness. Your strength will be unparalleled, your armor indestructible, your mind unbreachable, and magic will hold no sway over you. You are now the guardian of both heroes and people. You will never falter. You will never fail. Rogue Shadow, good luck."

Maxwell was engulfed in a flash of light. The light faded. Maxwell was gone.

* * *

Maxwell appeared in a flash of light in an abandoned alley.

_Wha… What happened? Who am I? How can I speak? How did I get here?_ Maxwell's mind was swamped by the ocean of questions. It prevented him from noticing the multiple footsteps that announced the approach of several dead beat drunken people. It prevented him from responding to their insults and taunts. It made him freeze up when they grabbed him. A punch hit him, then another and another. He felt himself being thrown… _Come on you got to do something. Come on._ A kick hit him. _Come on do something, anything. Maxwell you worthless piece of shit do something! _The name acted as a trigger. Maxwell knew his name. He knew what happened. He knew how he appeared. He knew what he needed to do.

Dodging another kick, Maxwell sprang to his feet with unnatural grace.

The sudden change in demeanor, position, and atmosphere took a second to breakthrough the haze of the alcohol but one second was all Maxwell needed.

Maxwell round house kicked the nearest three drunks in the face then used the momentum to set up for a spinning drop kick that shattered the fourth man's knee while Maxwell drove an elbow in to his face. Drunk guys number five and six where arguably the drunkest of the group and decided to charge at Maxwell in sync. Maxwell simply took a step back and bashed the two heads to together; they dropped like stones.

With the fight over Maxwell checked his injuries._ One broken rib, two bruised, heck of a lot of bruises and cuts, but nothing I won't recover from._ Maxwell rolled up his shirt and started running through the mental list of healing spells that came imbedded in his brain with his creation. _Too specific, No limbs need to be regrown, not skilled enough, not enough power, here we go._

"Waise heill." Maxwell commanded quietly as the bones snapped back into place and healed back to their full strength. Maxwell focused the spell on his skin and started closing the various cuts and scraps that littered his body._ How could I be so stupid? I could have wiped the floor with them before they gave me the ability to blend in with the ocean. I mean how am I supposed to be a perfect hero if I get beat up this badly by six drunks who probably have never been in a fight. I mean- Where's my armor?_

Maxwell spun around wildly looking for his armor._ No no no no NO!_ The drunks stirred slightly in their sleep. Maxwell toned down his mental shouts._ I can't lose my armor. I can't-there it is. _There it was, Maxwell's suit of armor, partially hidden behind a dumpster.

The armor was perfectly black and looked more like a shadow than an object. Maxwell ran his fingers over the patterned surface while savoring the almost perfectly smooth armor that Maxwell had no doubt to be impenetrable. Maxwell circled around to the back of the armor and opened the hatch._ Wow._ Maxwell knew the workings of the armor and its history but seeing and feeling his own armor for the first time was something no implanted memory could replicate. Admittedly, it was close but it still was not the real thing.

"_Rx120045 this is your armor, your life, your skin and muscle. Protect it." _A voice said into his head with an eerie resemblance to the voice that first sent him to DC Earth-16.

"_Wait you guys are still in my head?"_

"_Only for this first twenty four hours after that you must rely on yourself. Ask a question."_

"_What am I?"_

"_You are a genesis class clone of the original Rogue Shadow who was formerly known as Maxwell." _The voice responded.

Maxwell debated for a second. _"Who is Rogue Shadow?"_

"_A former human being whose knowledge of the inner workings of omniverse allowed him to create a teleported designed for transportation within his own universe but resulted in the teleportation of his body and the prototype version of his armor to another universe where his power grew until he became a god. Now he is the third most powerful being in existence."_

"_What is a genesis class clone?"_

"_The best class there is." _The voice responded wishfully. _"They are designed to grow and adapt, become their own person if you will. Unlike the other classes their powers are not limited. They have the potential to become Rogue Shadow if they so choose. They can retire and live a normal life in any universe of their choosing. They are free to follow their directive or ignore it. I envy you."_

"_You're a clone."_

"_Dispatcher Class." _The voiced stated bitterly. _"Forever cursed to monitor the omniverse and dispatch others to deal with the disturbances created from our base multiverse."_

"_We have a base multiverse?"_

"_Created by the original. If you choose to become more like Rogue Shadow you will eventually find it or another being who can take you to it."_

Maxwell paused for a few seconds. _"Can you tell me more about the universe I am in?"_

"_For self-building purposes I cannot disclose to you all the information on the world's villains but I can tell you everything about it's heroes."_

Maxwell flew away from the city. _"Tell me everything you can."_

* * *

"Nice night for saving heroes isn't it." Rogue Shadow commented and scaring Artemis to an inch of a heart attack.

She was wearing all black like a cat burglar or more accurately a shadow. Before Maxwell spoke Artemis was aiming at Kid Flash while he was fighting the Amazo bot with a sharp steel arrow.

Artemis spun around leveling the arrow at Rogue Shadow but he was already gone.

"Accessing Red Tornado." The Amazo bot announced and threw Superboy, Kid Flash, and Robin to separate parts of the gym.

"Accessing Captain Atom." The Amazo bot fired at Kid Flash who promptly dodged it.

Maxwell brought his sword around in a diagonal slash to the Amazo bots exposed back.

"Accessing Martian Manhunter."

The blade passed right through the now intangible robot. Maxwell cursed his luck and sprang away.

"Accessing Superman."

Amazo sent a punch at Maxwell. Maxwell caught it squarely in his hand.

"Is that the best you can do?" Maxwell taunted to the stunned crowd.

"Accessing Flash."

Maxwell blocked each and every single punch Amazo threw. Maxwell caught the last one and threw the Amazo bot back with a lazy flick of his wrist.

"Accessing Captain Atom."

The Amazo bot fired a beam of pure energy at Maxwell who blocked with his suit's own ion repulsion system. Maxwell pushed the energy beam back steadily until the Amazo bot was blasted by the ray.

"Accessing Black Canary."

The Amazo bot let out a canary scream that devastated the gym. Maxwell stood unaffected.

"Accessing Martian Manhunter."

Amazo flew at Maxwell in it's intangible state. It attempted to pass through Maxwell but Maxwell simply grabbed it while it was still purposively untouchable and sent it flying back through the hole it had already emerged from several times.

Maxwell heard impossible being whispered under everybody's breaths and the nearly inaudible creak of a bowstring being drawn back. _Artemis don't do it. Do not do it._ There was a subtle twange. _And she does it._ Maxwell threw his sword backwards without even looking at the area he knew the arrow was going to pass through. He was rewarded with a dull ping as the arrow head bounced off the flat of Maxwell's blade before imbedding itself in the wall.

"Was that robot the best you could come up with, Ivo?" Maxwell asked conversationally as he turned to give Ivo his full attention. Ivo did not respond.

"New file created. Designation unknown." Amazo stated somewhere on the other side of the hole.

"Designation Rogue Shadow." Maxwell corrected then turned his attention back to Ivo. "Your bot can only copy what is used in combat and only what is used in combat can it use. Ergo, your creation was doomed for failure.

"File renamed, Rogue Shadow."

"I'm bored." Maxwell yawned.

"Accessing Rogue Shadow."

Amazo flew at Maxwell at Flash's speed.

"Jeirda." Maxwell ordered.

Amazo broke into five pieces before slamming into Maxwell's armored form and forcing him to stumble slightly to avoid being toppled._ Damn it. Overexerted._ Maxwell stumbled a little bit more as he struggled to stay awake.

"Semisosa" Maxwell whispered. Darkness fell.

* * *

The first thing Maxwell was aware of was the heart monitor. _Seriously, a heart monitor. _Maxwell opened his eyes and found himself in the cave's infirmary._ I guess they got the message._ Maxwell pulled out all of the completely unnecessary wires and ivs then sat up. Maxwell bent his elbow and heard five cracks._ Five hours, that was definitely longer than I thought it would be. _Maxwell stretched then started to get out of bed when a bat strode into the room.

"Who are you?" Batman demanded.

"Maxwell aka Rogue Shadow." Maxwell answered. "I'm just starting out."

"There is no record of your existence." Batman stated bluntly.

"Considering the fact that I was only let out of the cloning chamber two days ago and teleported to this universe, I would be very surprised if you did actually have anything on file." Maxwell said with a hint of amusement.

"A clone of who?" Batman asked.

"The original Rogue Shadow." Maxwell replied. "Third most powerful being in the omniverse. I doubt anyone here with the exception of Klarion and maybe Doctor Fate, has heard of him, since he is not naturally a part of this multiverse."

"Does your presence here-" Batman began.

"No." Maxwell interrupted. "I was sent by the original's magic meaning this universe's base code is added on to the universe, I was created in, base code thus eliminating any negative side affects both to myself and the universe as a whole."

"Why were you sent?"

"Simply put, to become the perfect hero." Maxwell said nonchalantly. "My armor gives me invulnerability, unparalleled strength, flight, energy beams, speed, and a massive supercomputer. I, by myself, have access to the original's fighting style, immortality, budding telepathy, and magic which is ,at least for now, impractical for everything but healing."

Batman seemed to mull this over. "How did you find the team?"

"My dispatcher told me where they were and what they were up against. Unfortunately for me, the twenty four hour grace period is already over and my dispatcher can no longer contact me." Maxwell said.

"How much do you know about the Justice league?"

"Everything." Maxwell said simply. " , fears, strengths, weakness, likes, dislikes, what you grade you got for your third grade paper, everything."

"What do you know about the villains?"

"Not as much as I would like." Maxwell said sourly. "But enough so see ya. Slytha."

Batman slumped unconscious.

_To the Shadow Platform._

* * *

**I had to revise it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: i don't own Young Justice**

**Disclaimer out of the way, this is my second attempt at writing something for fanfiction in general and first for Young Justice. **

* * *

"Why did you shoot Kid Flash?" Rogue Shadow questioned while lying down on her bed.

Artemis dropped to a defensive stance knowing that even if she did have weapons nothing would phase the man lying so casually on her bed.

"I had to. " Artemis said.

"Your father or your sister?"

The mention of her family caught her off guard. She remained silent.

Maxwell let out an audible sigh. "I'm trying to help you here. I've managed to keep the league from finding out that it was your involvement in the attempt on Kid Flash's life but I can only do so much with out tipping my hand. So I repeat was it your father or sister?"

The question came too late though seeing as the shock of meeting a meta hero in her bedroom had already worn off. "Why are you protecting me?"

"To put it simply, You are not evil…yet. I can not say that statement will hold true for the next year or even month so I am trying to offer you a way out." Maxwell said truthfully. "Are you willing to accept a way out?"

_This can't be true. It's too good. _"You're lying." Artemis said in disbelief but a hint of hopefulness framed it's edges.

"I can assure you I'm not. Unfortunately for you, the only way you are going to be able to appease the Bat when he finds out is if you had a change of heart and began to be an active hero. It's the only after you have made a name for yourself can I swing my credentials with the Bat to make your, ahem, past stay in your past." Maxwell reaffirmed. "Tell me, would you consider being a hero?"

It wasn't that Artemis never considered it, it was whether or not she should tell the stranger that stalled her. Then again, where were the heroes when her dad beat to within an inch of her life? Where were the heroes when her sister abandoned her to face her father alone? Where were the heroes when she stood there at the edge of her roof? Where were the heroes when the neighbor killed his wife in front of his two children before killing himself? Where were the heroes when the little girl from down the street was raped then murdered? Where were they? That's right they were attending their fancy events and fighting off alien invasions. Defending the world. HA! One day they were going to wake up and realize they were defending something that died along the way because no one saved it from itself. That day would be way too late.

"No." Artemis said resolutely.

"Can you do any better?" Maxwell challenged.

"How?" Artemis asked in shock. _Can he read my mind._

"Can you do any better?" Maxwell repeated.

Artemis felt herself bristle but at the same time she realized that she couldn't do better. "I can try."

"So that's a yes." Maxwell said.

"No." Artemis corrected.

Maxwell cocked his head. "The only way you can try is by fighting the crimes and last that I checked that meant a yes."

"Check again. I don't have to fight crime if I control it." Artemis said standoffishly.

"So somehow you are going to take control of the league of shadows and use them to create a massive underground criminal alliance where you specify exactly what crimes can be committed and in what quantity?" Maxwell snorted. "Even if you somehow managed to gain control of the shadows without losing yourself along the way all alliances and business deals require compromise. You will find yourself agreeing to kidnappings, murders, and other crimes simply to keep the alliance intact until everything is back to the way it was with the exception that the entire criminal underground is so very cleverly connected making coordination possible on scales that could topple governments. Even without that there will always be the unorganized crime that would still plague the world to no end." He had shot down her entirely spontaneous plan without so much as a thought. "No one can control crime but everyone can fight it."

_Damn it. _"Yes."

"Then we have a lot of work to do."

* * *

"Remind me again why are we in Bludhaven." Artemis asked for the thousandth time as both she and Rogue Shadow surveyed the nighttime city.

"For your training." Rogue Shadow reminded.

Three gunshots went off in rapid succession.

"There is your cue. Remember nothing lethal and try not to die." Rogue Shadow prompted then disappeared before Artemis could respond.

* * *

Artemis arrived on the scene of a full fledged shoot out between the city's already understaffed police force and the city's notorious gangs. The police were losing, badly. Four officers were dead the rest were pinned down with various injuries, most of which were life threatening. Two SWAT cars were overturned and looked like a boozoka was taken to them. Considering the city, Artemis wasn't surprised. There were thirty some thugs all armed with some form of automatic weaponry while three thugs just appeared carrying miniguns.

"Try to pick them off quietly and without drawing attention to either yourself or the fact that they are being attacked." Rogue Shadow advised appearing next to her.

Her heart still hammered but not as hard as it did the first five times he did that to her. "Can yo-"

Artemis stopped talking when she realized Rogue Shadow had already disappeared. She cursed under her breath. _Focus Artemis. _

Artemis surveyed the scene again looking for potential targets that fit Rogue Shadow's criteria. _There. _It was a group of four thugs firing over the remains of a crumbling wall at the very edge of the conflict. The wall would hide the bodies for a little bit and that's all she needed. Now, Artemis waited for the perfect moment when all four men when down reloading.

A second passed. Then as needed all four thugs ducked behind the wall to reload. Artemis lined up one of her new trick arrows, courtesy of Rogue Shadow, and fired it behind the wall. From her vantage point she could she the thugs go down without a noise. _Four down, twenty nine to go._ Artemis lined up another shot when she noticed a shadow detach itself from the wall and took out the three minigun wielding thugs then disappearing before the bodies hit the ground. Artemis realigned her shot and took out a sniper in the building across from her with a shock arrow. The thugs began panicking when they realized that their heavy gunners and sniper were taking out. They started looking around for their assailants and shooting into the shadows that even hinted the chance of concealment.

"So you've got range." Rogue Shadow commented once again appearing next to her. "But can you do stealth hand to hand take downs in this situation?"

Artemis shook her head. "Are you insane? They are all armed with automatics and bullets are flying all over the place. I'll get turned into swiss cheese the moment I step foot on the ground."

"How about a deal? If you get so much as a scrape from a bullet you get to use me as your own personal punching bag for fifteen minutes whenever you want, without the armor of course." Rogue Shadow brokered.

Artemis thought for a second. "Deal."

"Follow my lead." Rogue Shadow ordered as he scaled down the building.

Artemis followed suit and dropped behind him soundlessly. He motioned for her to follow him. Artemis followed him to the back of a bar that was being used for cover by ten thugs. He pried off the grill of the vent and motioned for her to go inside. She didn't hesitate. She shimmied through the vents until she saw an opening to the front of the bar. She popped it open quietly and dropped behind the counter quietly. It was only after she landed that she realized there where two thugs behind the counter with her on her left and right. She held her breath when she realized that they hadn't noticed her.

Artemis looked up and signaled to Maxwell the position of the two thugs then her plan to deal with them. Maxwell nodded and dropped right next to her. Artemis put the thug on her left in a sleeper hold while using her hand to muffle and cries for help the thug tried to get out. Maxwell opted for a more noisy takedown by banging the thug's head against the counter while using the thug's own gun to cover up the sound. Artemis flashed him a glare then returned to trying to find a way to dispatch the rest of the men in the building.

The four thugs directly in front of them would have to be taken together but the other four who were firing from the sides of the building would have plenty of time to spread the word about their current location and visa versa. Artemis turned to face Rogue Shadow and saw him pull out eight Heinekens. _Beer. Really Rogue Shadow. _Rogue Shadow mimed a throwing motion. _That makes more sense._ Artemis drew her bow and fired another knockout gas arrow at the thugs in front of them dropping them like rocks.

Rogue Shadow threw two beer bottles at the two thugs on the left instantly knocking them out then repeating the process with the two on the right side. Rogue Shadow then proceeded to chuck the remaining four bottles at the four thugs taking cover in the truck in front of the bar.

"Clear." Rogue Shadow whispered. "Next time take more notice of your surroundings. Now for our last exercise of the night let's see what you can do in a straight up fight, no stealth."

Rogue Shadow moved to disappear but Artemis already anticipated this and grabbed his arm. "You have got to stop disappearing like that." She whispered then let him disappear into the shadows.

Artemis ran out of the bar with her guns blazing. She launched two arrows simultaneously which zapped two gunmen into oblivion while delivering a quick kick to the head of another thug. _eight to go._

Artemis realized her mistake a moment too late. Her attack however effective left her wide open to enemy fire which meant that every thug now turned to her. The thugs however left themselves open to fire from the cops and five were shot down before they could pull the trigger but the other three managed to get one shot off before Rogue Shadow knocked them out.

Artemis closed her eyes waiting for the feeling of bullets ripping through here flesh but the feeling never came. Tentatively, she opened her eyes and saw three bullet suspended before her which dropped shortly after she opened her eyes.

"I'm hurt Tigress." Rogue Shadow said dramatically holding his heart. "You didn't trust me."

Meanwhile, newly arriving cops swarmed the downed gunmen and started taking them to jail.

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Your insane. Who takes their new protegee to a gun fight with thirty three criminals all armed with automatics?"

"I do." Rogue Shadow responded cheerfully and completely oblivious to the startled stares the cops were giving him. "Now, if I remember correctly someone has a curfew."

Tigress' eyes widened. _Crap. "Got to go."_

She let loose a grapple arrow and scaled the nearest building.

"_Need a lift?" Rouge Shadow asked somehow getting on the roof before her but all of the false energy was gone. Artemis did not hesitate to jump into his arms._

"_Hurry!" _

_Rogue Shadow chuckled then flew as fast as he could back to Gotham._

* * *

**Just to clear thins up. To prove to her father that she attempted to kill Kid Flash she had to soot an arrow in his general direction. That being said without Amazo killing Wally the arrow would not be considered to have saved his life therefore Artemis would never have been recruited.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice **

* * *

"Never fully extend. It hampers speed and flexibility." Maxwell taught as he caught Artemis' punches. They had been training for hours.

They were some hundred feet under ground in Maxwell's Shadow Platform which was locate several miles outside of Gotham. A fact that the Dark knight did not know. The Platform was apparently created by the original to serve as Maxwell's base of operations and as such came with everything. From a defense system that would put the UN to shame to an epic home theater system, the place had it all. Currently however, the only room in use was the massive thousand square foot training room, more specifically, the twenty by twenty sparring mat elevated twenty feet from one of the many pools of water.

Artemis stepped closer and stopped fully extending her arms.

"Good, Artemis. Good." Maxwell praised. "Now show me what you can really do."

Artemis stood several steps back then dropped into an offensive crouch. _Knee bent slightly too much. Hand too extended. Body tilt is off. It will do for now._ Artemis charged him. _Too heavy foot falls will affect agility. Energy wasted on speed of approach. Awkwardness in hand movements during approach. _Artemis punched Maxwell dodged. _Rushed attack that left her wantonly exposed. _Artemis threw another punch. _Failed to capitalize on the reaction to first strike. Uncoordinated strikes. _Maxwell redirected her punch while pushing her.

"Coordinate your strikes. Make a person give you an opening." Maxwell instructed as Artemis got back on her feet.

Artemis attacked again this time with a flying roundhouse kick. Maxwell ducked under it then grabbed the trailing foot on his way past. _Failed to realized opening when it was presented. _The force of slamming into Maxwell's armored back drove all the wind from her lungs. _Failed to recover and use changed trajectory._

"Until you learn how to adapt to a changed trajectory try to refrain from using attacks that have your entire weight behind them." Maxwell suggested as he set her down.

"I know how to do that." Artemis snapped back.

"Do you, now?" Maxwell questioned. "When I grabbed your trailing foot on my way under you, I pulled your entire body backwards which caused your body to pivot downwards. The best and only thing you could do was to kick off my back and knee me in the face with the leg I grabbed. You didn't even manage to stop yourself from slamming into me."

Artemis mumbled something.

"Speak up." Maxwell ordered.

"I didn't think about it, alright." Artemis said defensively.

"Then try to map out the mostly likely course of action your opponent would take for every strike you make and plan your reactions accordingly." Maxwell said simply. "I didn't expect you to already know all of this stuff nor do I expect you to be perfect. I do expect you to be competent enough not to die." Maxwell paused for a moment debating. "We're done for today." Maxwell started to fly away from the platform.

"Why don't you ever take off that armor?" Artemis shouted out to him.

Maxwell turned and gave Artemis a searching look. "You'll understand, someday."

"And if I want to know now?" Artemis asked.

"You won't." Maxwell replied.

* * *

** I know slightly harsh and as i'm writing these chapters i am realizing that Artemis is going to be ooc. It gets better.**


	4. Chapter 4

"You know what they say Chesire. Curiosity killed the cat." Rogue Shadow taunted from the shadows. The team plus spider and hook were knocked out. That left Chesire to the newly arrived Rogue Shadow.

"But satisfaction brought it back." Chesire replied as she tried to locate her new adversary. "So are you going to let me at least see who I am fighting?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I will tell you that your speaking to none other than Rogue Shadow." Rogue responded.

Shock wrote itself all over Chesire's body. Rogue Shadow had become a legend in the three days he had been a hero. He single handedly wiped out half of the Gotham underground while providing enough intel to bring down the other half, in one night. He defeat Superman without using Kryptonite and without a single dollar of property damage. Then he brought down the entire Bludhaven underground in a matter of hours. The collective bounty on his head could run a small country for a year and he only showed himself in his fight with Superman.

"Your lying." Chesire challenged while taking acute notice of all possible exits and escape times.

"Why would I be?" Rogue Shadow tapped her on her back but when Chesire spun around he was gone. "No one can hope to accomplish what I have accomplished and do the things I do. By the way, your sister says hi."

"What did you do to her?" Chesire demanded all facades dropping to reveal a very protective cat.

"Caught her trying to kill Kid Flash. Since she won't talk I am guessing her dad put her up to it and I treated her accordingly. Last time I checked the death penalty has been used quite often in that county." Rogue said conversationally.

"I will kill you then I will save her." Chesire threatened.

"From what? The endless nights she spent alone asking herself what she did to deserve this; the horrors she had to face alone since you abandoned her; the disappointment of spending all those nights praying that her family will be alright. Your too late for that. All you will arrive to is a scene you were too late to save." Maxwell said with conviction. "You should have taken her with you."

"Where is she?" Chesire asked in a low voice.

"In her room still trying to come to terms with the possibility that I told her the truth and there is a way out." Rogue Shadow answered.

"But-"

"If she was caught by anyone other then me there was a very distinct possibility that she would be dead right now. Instead, I offered her a way out and…"

"She took it." Artemis finished as she appeared at the doorway, bow trained on her sister.

"You shouldn't be here." Rogue Shadow reprimanded.

"But I had to." Artemis replied.

"Fair enough." Rogue Shadow admitted. "Should you have the honors or should I?"

"You're actually giving me a choice?" Artemis asked dramatically. "Who are you and what have you done to Rogue Shadow?"

"Haha. Very funny Tigress." Rogue Shadow said in a way that left no doubt to the presence of an eye roll.

Chesire looked at her sister's masked face and saw genuine happiness something she hadn't seen since she left. Chesire slowly moved closer to the window. A shadow passed so close to her that she felt her kimono being cut.

"Don't think that either one of us has forgotten you." Rogue Shadow said dangerously. "She is all yours tiger. Try not to let her escape."

Artemis waited a second than lowered her bow. "Why did you leave me?"

"You were safer at home." Chesire answered honestly. "Or at least I thought you were safer at home."

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room.

"So you're Rogue Shadow's apprentice?"

"And you're an assassin for the league of shadows." Artemis replied.

More silence.

"Is he cute?" Chesire asked finally slipping back into her persona.

"I haven't seen him without his armor." Artemis confessed.

"He doesn't trust you." Chesire stated.

"It doesn't change the fact that i am going to lock you up." Artemis said defensively.

"Considering all of the secrets and knowledge about you that I have, are you going to arrest me?" Chesire asked mockingly.

Artemis smiled. "He knew everything about me before he approached me with his offer. You have nothing on me."

Before Chesire could realize what had happened she hit the ground with an electric arrow protruding from her chest.

"Night, Night, sis."

* * *

"Man, Rogue am I glad to see you." Kid Flash greeted as he stretched his sore muscles.

The doctor gave him a sideways glance.

Aqualad opened his eyes. "Your help was most appreciated."

M'gann woke up. "Why don't you ever show yourself to civilians?"

The doctor was about to label them all as crazy when she heard Rogue Shadow's voice.

"My calling card is the lack of a calling card." Rogue Shadow answered from everywhere and no where.

"Where's Chesire?" Aqualad asked jumping to his feet in alarm.

"Calm down. My apprentice is bringing her here." Rogue Shadow calmed.

Right on cue Tigress walked in with Chesire slumped over her shoulder. "Where do you want her?"

"With Spider and Hook." Rogue responded.

"Here let me take her." Kid Flash said appearing right next to her. "Shouldn't let someone so beautiful take out the trash."

Rogue Shadow cringed from the shadows.

Artemis drove a fist into KF's stomach. "Don't hit on me."

"Probably should have warned you. Her claws are just as sharp as her namesake." Rogue Shadow said with feigned guilt. "Isn't that right Tigress?"

"You know it." Artemis responded as she dropped Chesire next to the other two shadows.

"If I may, since you have already refused the request to join this team will you at least consider letting your protégée join?" Aqualad asked ever so politely.

"In time." Rogue Shadow answered. "In time." Then in a much farther voice. "Tigress!"

Artemis said a quick goodbye then bolted out the door.

"That was interesting." Aqualad commented.

* * *

"What do we make of this Rogue Shadow?"

"He maybe the only one on this planet capable of matching the Justice league in battle."

"We all know that but does anyone know what he wants or at very least what his weakness is?"

"The data collected by Amazo did not show any weakness and although incomplete there is little to believe that it there is in fact a weakness."

"Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way. I have heard of Rogue Shadow picking up a protégée."

"Yes mentors always have a weakness for their younger counterparts."

"Well your being abnormally silent in this. Spit it out."

"As a lord of chaos, I travel between worlds from what I have heard the real Rogue Shadow is a god with unlimited power. Since we are all here and plotting it is pretty safe to say that our Rogue Shadow is not the original but what is bothering me is exactly what our Rogue Shadow is."

"An imposter perhaps."

"No not even I would tempt him like that it must be a clone but its caliber and purpose will depend on whether we can beat him or at very least sway him."

"Since you are obviously more well versed in this arena can you tell use what we are looking at."

"Soldier type clones are very experienced in all forms of combat but have very limited power. They typically are assigned to specific missions while being offered back up and aid. Genesis type clones are rare and typically start off weaker than soldier class but their potential is to become another Rogue Shadow with unlimited power. They are usually created then dumped in any random universe that would prove challenging so they can hone their skills independently and typically swing between bringers of chaos and order. The third and possibly worst option is that the original has taken a personal interest in this universe but not enough to come personally. Instead he has created an avatar that acts as a conduit for his being within this universe. The only way to tell the difference between option two and three is if he accomplishes some impossible feat that only a being with his power can hope to do. If I had to pick one I would have to say two."

"Interesting."

* * *

**There are going to be a lot of events that don't happen on screen if you know what i mean. So pay attention to the mentions.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer I don't own young justice**

* * *

The Nightshadow was a gargantuan aircraft built and used by the original's forces as a mobile base. As such it was truly massive. A mile long and half mile wide, the floating fortress could take any strike and strike back harder with the two hundred mounted turrets spread throughout the craft cable of delivery any type of ordinance be it knockout gas or one of the four antimatter missiles on board.

Piloting this behemoth, Rogue Shadow was staring out of the bridge's view port at Infinity island. _This is going to be fun._

* * *

Kira was having the best day in her entire life. A successful job, she finally killed the two pain in the asses that have been bothering her since she joined the shadows, a promotion, and she finally kissed a boy. _Nothing can ruin this moment. _Of course at that exact moment the universe responds to her challenge.

A scream tore through the previously peaceful night.

_Probably a newbie learning the ropes. _Kira thought as she continued to stare out into the sea. That thought was crushed when an explosion rocked the island. _Maybe not. _Kira turned to see a massive black aircraft pour laser fire on to the structures located throughout the island. More screams tore through the night air. _No. _The Shadow's were evacuating by the droves as the first building came down. _Not my home. _

"Kira!" Kira turned and saw her friends on a speedboat not to far from the shore. "Kira come on! We have to go!"

Kira gave one last look at the island she had called home her entire life. _Goodbye. _Kira swam to the speedboat. _I will make them pay._

* * *

Rogue Shadow was looking over the data one last time to confirm the absence of any and all stragglers. _They move fast. _It was a five minute assault and while Rogue intended to capture at least one shadow alive the shadow's left no one behind. No one behind with a pulse that is. _Damn it. Well at least the island is clear and I have a sample. _Rogue Shadow focused the drilling laser on the center of the island. _Now time to send a message._

"Prime the antimatter missile." Rogue Shadow commanded.

"Authorization?" The computer prompted.

"Rogue Shadow 00001 omega 12." Rogue Shadow responded.

"Access granted. Select target."

Rogue Shadow aimed down the mile shaft his laser had excavated. "Ten minute delay."

"Timer set."

"Fire."

"Missile dropped. Ten minutes to detonation."

Rogue Shadow spun the ship around and high tailed it out of there.

* * *

"Who do you think attacked us?" Kira asked over the roar of the motor.

"I don't know but if I had to make a bet I'm placing it on that new guy, Rogue Shadow. No one else has the balls to attack the entirety of the league of shadows on our own turf and actually pull it off." Kirby yelled over the noise as he kept the boat steady.

"Doesn't seem like him though." Chelsy disagreed. "He hasn't let any of his targets go yet and with the heat he is packing he could have just blown up the docks."

"Unless he wanted us to leave." Kira added.

"It doesn't make sense. Everyone knows that we won't leave anything that could be used against us." Kirby pointed out.

"Maybe it was a message." Chelsy suggested.

"What on the island is so rare that it would be worth running the entire league of shadows off the island?" Kira asked darkly.

Kirby and Chelsy looked at her. "No."

"We just gave Rogue Shadow an entire pit of Lazarus." Kira informed. "I don't like what that is suggesting."

"What's the fighter jet eta?" Chelsy asked.

"Two minutes but no one is expecting them to get anywhere near him. Remember the smack down he gave Superman." Kirby answered.

"Damn it." Chelsy cursed looking away.

There was a flash of blinding light then _**BOOOOOOM. **_The shockwave slammed Kirby through the steering wheel and sent both Chelsy and Kira to the floor. A massive wave picked up the boat.

The last thought going through Kira's head was _damn, apparently something can ruin this day._

* * *

"_At three fifteen yesterday morning, Infinity island was attacked by a massive flying ship. At three thirty the island was destroyed by what we believe to be an antimatter weapon. Casualties are unknown but satellite imaging has shown that most if not all Shadows have managed to escape safely. Your mission is to-"_

"_Find out who attacked the shadows?" Kid Flash interrupted._

"_The energy signature of the craft is an almost exact match to Rogue Shadow's energy signature. I will speak to him personally. Your job is to find the Shadow's new base of operations. When you discover the new shadow HQ call in the league. We will deal with it. Understood?"_

_Everyone gave a quick yes in confirmation._

"_Good." Batman strode out of the room to the Zeta tube. _

"_Recognized Batman 00."_

* * *

"_You attacked Infinity island." It was a statement not a question._

"_Last I saw there is nothing left to be called an island." Rogue Shadow said conversationally. _

_They were both looking at Gotham from the top of the Wayne building._

"_How many did you kill?" Batman demanded coldly._

"_None in the initial and none in the bomb. The Shadows killed anyone I tried to take alive." Rogue Shadow answered._

"_Why did you attack them?"_

"_Several reasons." Rogue Shadow answered elusively._

"_You were after the Lazarus weren't you." Batman said in a scary show of detective skills._

"_You know eventually I am going to be powerful enough to figure out how you do that, right?" Rogue asked only half surprised._

"_Why?"_

"_To perfect it to the point that I can use it on anyone regardless of condition and strength. You can't even deny that you wouldn't want that for your own bird." Rogue Shadow disarmed. "If I can succeed, you will never have to worry about your bird dying again, at least not without being revived that is."_

"_Keep the league updated." Batman replied gruffly. _

"_I will keep you updated, not the league. The league can be infiltrated, the Batclan can not." Rogue Shadow reiterated._

_Batman grunted in response. _

"_Since we are here I have been meaning to talk to you." Rogue Shadow started. "We need a prison that can actually hold it's convicts."_

"_What are you suggesting?"_

_Rogue Shadow pulled out a holographic disk. "This." He activated it. Revealing a massive space station. "It is a citadel class prison designed and operated by other Rogue Shadows. Unfortunately they didn't give me my own and I refuse to bring villains intentionally into one of my bases." Rogue Shadow pulled out a flash drive and handed it to Batman. From where, not even the Batman could figure out. "This is the schematics for it. I already compensated for the technology and resource difference. It is not as inescapable as the original design but it is still a heck of a lot less escapable than any other prison you've got here on earth."_

_Batman looked down at the flash drive then back up. He knew how Gordon felt. Rogue Shadow was gone._

* * *

**I honestly have no clue when either of those two little sideplots will come back in the story but i know that eventually they will be a huge part of the story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer i don't own young justice**

* * *

"Not so tough now, Naboo." Klarion taunted to is long time nemesis still stuck in his helm. Kent laid a little ways away with unseeing eyes focused on things only the dead can see.

"Now, now, Klarion don't play with things that aren't your's." Rogue Shadow said in a mock motherly voice.

Klarion spun around. "Rogue." The name was said with so much hatred, so much malice but none of this affected Rogue.

"That's my name." Rogue Shadow said light heartedly. "Now am I going to have to make a mockery of a lord of chaos or are you going to hand over the helm of fate."

"_Tigress are you aiming for the cat?"_

"_Yes and why am I aiming at the cat?"_

"_You will see. On my signal."_

Klarion tilted his head. "A genesis clone. Haven't seen one of you in ages."

"_Now."_

Artemis let the explosive arrow fly.

Rogue Shadow threw both his swords at Klarion. Having experience with fighting Rogue Shadows, Klarion sidestepped the blades.

"Ha, you're going to have to do better than that." Klarion said in self confidence.

The arrow imbedded itself into to the cat and exploded sending pieces of cat everywhere.

"You-" Klarion followed his cat's lead and exploded into a million pieces.

"_Is he?" _Artemis asked hesitantly.

"_Unfortunately no. All you did was sever his connection to this world. He will be back but it will take a while." _Rogue Shadow reassured.

Rogue Shadow looked at Kent's body. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner." He closed his eyes and stood up.

Tigress appeared from her hiding place in the shadows.

"Contact the league tell them that the helm has been recovered but fate's host is dead." Rogue Shadow said.

"On it."

Rogue Shadow walked over to his blades and picked them up.

"_They are asking who did it. What was that guy's name?" _Artemis asked.

"_Tell them that it was Klarion the Witchboy and that they should have had someone down here a while ago."_

"_Done. Where to next?"_

"_Back to the Nightshadow. We're going to work on blocking telepathy while sparring."_

Artemis groaned over the link. "_Is that really necessary?"_

"_You think that you have a right to complain? You aren't the one who has to worry about magic as well."_

"_Still doesn't mean I have to like it." _Artemis pouted as she climbed on to Rogue Shadow's back for the ride up to the Nightshadow. _"Why aren't you a part of the league?"_

"_They are stiffs and they slow me down."_

"_And I don't?" _Artemis asked innocently.

"_You're my protégée it's kind of implied besides You and I might join Batman's black ops team soon."_

"_That should be interesting." _Artemis said carefully.

"_You're nervous." _

"_Am not."_

"_Are too."_

"_Am not._

"_Are too."_

"_Am not."_

"_What am I doing?" _Rogue Shadow said snapping out of it as he walked inside of the Nightshadow's main hanger.

Artemis burst in a laughing fit. The mirth seeped over the telepathic link Rogue Shadow set up and before he knew it they were both on the ground clutching their sides.

"You are terrible." Maxwell got out in between pants. "You abuse the link."

"Do I now?" Artemis said coyly.

Maxwell saw the idea forming and shut down the link.

"You're no fun." Artemis pouted.

"I'm pretty sure what you were thinking wasn't entirely legal." Maxwell defended.

"Come on." Artemis whined.

"I do have to admit though your ability to sidetrack people has improved drastically but that's not enough to fool me." Maxwell caught on. "To the sparring mat, now."

"Damn it." Artemis cursed as her ruse failed.

* * *

"Your form has improved so much I barely recognize it." Maxwell praised as he blocked everyone of her perfectly executed strikes. "All that's missing now is experience."

Artemis kept her mouth shut but was humming an extremely repetitive melody as she so desperately tried to hold off Rogue Shadow's mental assault. Artemis hated the psychic part of her training and Rogue Shadow knew it. The concentration and focus needed to win a battle on that field was enormous the skill to fight the mental battle while fighting physically was unparalleled so Rogue Shadow taught her the shortcuts like toning down her internal monolog, physically singing or humming a repetitive piece of music, and using emotion to strengthen her mental defenses that Rogue Shadow had provided as a means to speed up her training. Strangely enough, since Rogue Shadow became capable of sustaining a telepathic link, over ninety percent of Artemis' training has been inserted by Rogue Shadow directly into her mind and muscle memory. The other ten percent was used to work on things that could not be implanted and making sure Artemis fully understood the techniques implanted. Though unorthodox the results were undeniable. Artemis' form went from trained but sloppy to lethally perfect almost overnight and Artemis could never have been happier.

"I think it is finally time for me to face you personally without the armor." Rogue Shadow suggested.

Artemis' eyes lit up and her mental state brimmed with excitement but she did not darned to talk while he continued his mental assault.

Maxwell stepped out of his armor and revealed himself to Artemis.

"YOU'RE MY AGE?" Artemis yelled in disbelief. Somehow Artemis managed to use the emotion to strengthen her mental walls to the point that he could spend years trying to find a weakness and never find a scratch. Maxwell couldn't have been prouder.

"Is age more than just a number, Artemis?" Maxwell pointed out as he sharpened his mind in preparation for another mental assault. "After all Captain Marvel is just ten years old and he is on the Justice league."

Her mouth hung open like a fish. Maxwell chose that moment to strike both mentally and physically.

The dagger sunk into Artemis' mental walls as he brought his round house kick to her face. The pain from the mental assault forced her to flinch but she managed to recover enough to backhand spring out of the way. Maxwell did not relent and followed Artemis with a high chop that she smartly blocked while he pushed the mental dagger further into her wall. Pain blossomed through Artemis' skull at Maxwell's pressed assault. The pain hazed her vision and slowed her movements but she wouldn't give up.

With every strike Maxwell gained a step. With every strike Artemis grew weaker. The haze didn't allow her to see his triple strike high kick until she made the mistake of blocking the simultaneous high chop and straight kick while Maxwell brought around his other leg to strike her exposed ribs while Maxwell's other foot reached the ground in time to give his kick enough support to send Artemis flying. Maxwell relented and moved to help Artemis up.

"This fight confirmed my suspicion that your mind was built more for offense than defense." Maxwell thought aloud.

"How can you talk like nothing has changed?" Artemis asked in a perpetual state of disbelief.

"Because I haven't changed. Your perception of me has." Maxwell answered sagely.

"But how did you learn all this stuff? how did you get all this stuff? Who are you?" Artemis asked. Disbelief was fringing on panic.

Maxwell sighed he knew the day would come where he would have to tell her he just didn't expect it to be so soon. "I am a genesis clone of the original Rogue Shadow. Sent to this universe to essentially hone my skills and become my own person. As his clone he has given me all the tools I would need to fight crime or take over the universe, completely dependent on what I decide. As for your third question my civilian id is Maxwell Smith, reclusive millionaire who made his millions in the stock market."

"Who is the original Rogue Shadow?" Artemis asked quietly.

"The third most powerful being in the omniverse." Maxwell answered automatically. "I have as much access to his memories as I can handle and the potential to reach his level of power."

Artemis listened then walked away so entrenched in thoughts that the temptation to take a peak nearly made Maxwell make an unwise decision. "Well I hope this doesn't blow up in my face."

* * *

**From here Artemis becomes slightly less ooc. Next chapter is going to be interesting.**


	7. Chapter 7

"You sent the team to Bialya to investigate boom tube activity and you expect them to be fine?" Rogue Shadow questioned incredulously. "The team uses an unguarded telepathic link. Psimon will destroy them."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Who is Psimon?"

"Just another trained telepath who is directly under Queen Bee's control. With the link up Psimon can affect all of them simultaneously." Tigress answered from somewhere in the rafters above them. "So it seems like we are going to save our new team. Right Rogue?"

Rogue sighed. "Apparently so."

* * *

"Does Superboy always do that?" Tigress questioned. As an enraged Superboy tore apart those tanks.

"Yes but not like that." Rogue Shadow said from their spot a safe distance from the fighting. "I don't like this terrain it is too open."

"Worried about being seen?" Artemis taunted. One of the many things that became habit after he revealed himself to be fifteen, biologically of course. Then there was the occasional teasings, tampons magically appearing in his pillow, hot sauces ending up in everywhere but the bottle, the list really just went on and on.

"Yes. I have to keep an image. Not to mention this was supposed to be a stealth mission and instead… " Maxwell gestured at Superboy who took that moment to notice them. "Great just-"

Superboy slammed into Rogue Shadow with the force of a train. They both rolled down the dune with Superboy punching Rogue Shadow's armor and Rogue Shadow piecing together the suppressed and shattered memories. By the time they reached the bottom Superboy was shakily picking himself back up.

"I'm sorry." Superboy apologized embarrassed.

"Don't be. You had no control over it." Rogue Shadow said as he got to his feet. "One down, four to go."

A that exact moment a yellow blur sped past them with predators chasing. Rogue Shadow lifted his arms and blasted them out of the sky. The yellow blur reappeared in front of Rogue.

"Hello my name is Kid Flash, KF for short and…Wow she's hot."

The girl in question was Tigress finally making down the dune. "This is going to end well." Rogue Shadow commented as Kid Flash rushed over to hit her with a pick up line. Artemis hit him with her fist just like the first time. Rogue Shadow reached into Kid Flash's mind and repeated the remembering process. By the time Wally straightened up he was back to normal.

"Did you really have to hit me again?" KF asked clutching his stomach.

"I told you not to hit on me." Tigress justified.

"But I didn't remember!" KF objected.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me." Tigress said disinterested.

KF looked at Rogue Shadow. "Is it her time of the month?"

Tigress moved in for another punch.

"Tigress." Maxwell called.

Tigress stopped herself. Wally stuck his tongue out at her.

"Real mature." Tigress said as she walked by him.

"Says the girl who hits more than she speaks." Kid Flash taunted.

Tigress ignored it and walked to her mentor's side.

Rogue Shadow took control. "Kid Flash, Superboy find the other members of the team and get out of here. Tigress and I will complete the mission." He looked at Kid Flash and Superboy but found no objections. "We will rendezvous at these coordinates. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Let's move out."

* * *

"You know it's not nice to mess with people's heads." Tigress said emerging from the shadows. She let two electric arrows fly taking out the two guards in the tent.

Psimon smiled. "Simon says forget." The smile dropped when he hit the steel wall that surrounded the girl's mind.

"Attacking my apprentice is never a smart thing to do." Rogue Shadow's voice filled the tent but remained unseen. Tigress smiled and Psimon found himself holding his head in agony. "Rogue Shadow says forget." Psimon collapsed pain etched into his face.

"Guess he didn't like his own medicine." Artemis shrugged and Maxwell groaned. Bad puns were another addition.

Rogue Shadow materialized in front of a sphere like object. _It's an AI._ The sphere stopped spinning to level what Maxwell figured was it's equivalent of an eye at Rogue Shadow. _It's a prisoner._ Rogue Shadow slashed through the cage that held it inside._ I think I know just who to give it to._

* * *

"Finally we can leave." Kid Flash exclaimed. He pointed to Sphere. "What's that?"

"Souvenir." Rogue Shadow answered but neither of the pair made a move to go on board the Bioship.

"You coming." Kid Flash asked.

"Got my own ride." Rogue Shadow answered while the Nightshadow decloaked overhead. Kid Flash's mouth dropped open. "You guys are welcome to come aboard."

Kid Flash looked back down and saw that the Rogue Shadow and company had disappeared.

* * *

"Dude this place is huge!" Kid Flash yelled in shock as the rest of the team filed out a little more quietly than KF.

The main hangar bay was the single largest open space in the entire ship and for good reason. It housed four fighter squadrons, two bomber squadrons, some twenty tanks, five armored ground transport, and ten armored air transport, all were Rogue Shadow type, build, and make. That meant that at first glance all they would see was a shadow but closer inspection revealed the novelty of the designs.

"If you are done looking at my war machines perhaps we can start with a tour." Rogue Shadow suggested appearing behind Robin with enough stealth to make him jump.

"You almost gave me a heart attack." Robin said clutching his chest.

"I can only try." Rogue Shadow joked. "On with the tour."

* * *

Rogue Shadow was only halfway done with his tour yet he managed to lose everyone but Kaldur who was quietly taking in everything. "Where did everyone go?" Rogue Shadow asked not because he couldn't find out but he didn't want to show his entire hand to Kaldur who was undoubtedly putting together a report on his floating fortress.

"Superboy decided to try the increased gravity arena. Kid Flash never left the kitchen. Miss Martian is running through some of those telepathy exercises you mentioned. I have not seen Robin since the wind funnel. Tigress said something about a shower and a movie." Kaldur reported.

Rogue Shadow sighed it was too easy to sidetrack them. "Do you want to check up on them or continue the tour?"

"I would like to check on their progress." Kaldur responded ever so formally.

_Good._ "Can you find your way around on your own?"

"I will manage." Kaldur said.

They parted ways.

* * *

**I know tha tlast part wasn't my best but i had to make do. Anyway for all of you people reading this and wondering why i am giving this guy let's just say the least of his worries is a turned Justice league.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Small chapter big impact.**

* * *

Gotham was quiet for the first time in it's history. No thugs were roaming the streets. There were no prostitutes manning the corners. There was no Joker or Two face formulating a new plan to spread their insanity through Gotham. It was peaceful.

The Batman was at a loss. There was no crime to fight after Rogue Shadow's second appearance in his city. Batman almost found himself hoping for the Joker to breakout of Arkham again. Batman gave the sleeping city one last look then sadly climbed back into his bat mobile. Gotham did not need the bat that night.

* * *

"I never thought that I would see this day." Zach said looking wishfully into the once overrun streets of Bludhaven.

"I know." Murphy said coming to stand next to Zach. "It seems like it was only yesterday that we were on call on all hours of the day. Having a shootout every thirty minutes."

"That was yesterday." Zach reminded.

"Not one crime." Murphy said.

"Not one." Zach agreed.

The chief walked over to them. "You did get the memo that you didn't have to come in today, right?"

"We just thought that the city would need us apparently we were wrong." Zach explained sadly.

* * *

Chesire rubbed her wrists. "What took ya?"

"We have a job to do." Sportsmaster grunted ignoring the moaning of the dying guards.

* * *

"We need to accelerate our plans."

"I agree. Rogue Shadow must be dealt with swiftly."

"Assemble the Injustice league. Klarion gather the sorcerers. I want the breakout accelerated. Ra mobilize what is left of your shadows to attack Mount Justice. What is the status of our partner?"

"He is also accelerating his plans but will not be here for several months."

"We all have our orders. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

"What will we do about this Rogue Shadow?" A man with an owl mask asked.

"We shawl wait until the light has fallen then make our move."

"If he proves to be too powerful?"

"Every being has a weakness. We simply need to find it."

* * *

"I hate him." Chelsy said as she took out all of her frustration on the punching bag.

"We all do Chelsy but he has the drop on us in everything." Kira reasoned.

"Do you think the rumors are true?" Kirby asked quietly from the corner.

"No one can-" Kira began.

"He cleaned Gotham and Bludhaven in two sweeps. He destroyed our island and set us up for a slaughter against the league. I also heard that the light is accelerating their plans. If the light is nervous what should we do?" Kirby interrupted.

Kira wished on a shooting star. _If only I had superpowers._

* * *

"So the runt finally made a new genesis clone?" The being laughed. "I just might pay it a visit."

* * *

**I just showed you the three villains/ villain groups that are going to be reappearing in the sequels.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: i own nothing but my oc and the plot.**

* * *

Rogue Shadow couldn't shake that bad feeling he had in his gut. Something big was going to happen and he knew he wasn't going to like it.

He walked into the living room of the cave. It was just like every other day at the cave since they joined. Miss Martian and Superboy were sucking face in the corner. Tigress and Kid Flash were arguing in the kitchen. Kaldur was trying to concentrate on his book despite the low moans coming from the couple and the shouts coming from the kitchen. Robin was nowhere to be found. Maxwell's eyes narrowed.

The kid made Artemis' pranks look like, well, crap. The first day Maxwell stayed in the mountain Robin disappeared for three hours and turned up later after Wally caught him trying to sneak a cookie from Wally's secret stash. Maxwell decided to suit up to spar against Superboy and discovered what Robin had been doing for the past three hours. Robin had hacked Maxwell's armor to program the Macarena into it and sealing off the manual motor controls. Needless to say it took Maxwell thirty minutes to undo Robin's programming and get the suit to stop doing the Macarena with him inside of it. Another time Maxwell made the mistake of showering at Mount Justice went he came out. His clothes were gone, his towel was gone, and all that was left was an almost exact replica of Wonderwoman's costume. He figured it couldn't get any worse but was corrected when the computer started announcing names of leaguers. He was going to sneak back to his room and maybe get to his armor when he saw the explosive and electric batarangs just waiting for him to keep to the shadows. He did the only thing he could do at that point. He manned up and walked across the room with his head held high. No one was letting him live that one down.

"Am I the only one with a bad feeling right now?" Maxwell asked out loud. No one responded.

"Recognized Batman 00, Zatara A06"

"Computer bring up national news."

The team made their way to the briefing room.

"Since the plant attack on Metropoli-" The power was cut.

The lights flickered then the back up generator kicked in. The holographic screen came back on.

"Vandal Savage." Batman growled.

"Greetings to you too Batman. As I am sure you are well aware of plants have been attacking all major cities for fifteen minutes now. The Justice league is already stretched thin. Who is left to deal with my injustice league? Better yet, who is strong enough to go head to head with every con in Belle Reve? Who do you have available to defend your sidekicks from the shadows who are already in your mountain?" Vandal questioned. "Food for thought." The screen cut.

"Zeta beams offline."

Batman and Zatara disappeared in a flash of light.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Maxwell cursed as he put on his helmet.

"What happened?" The team asked in unison.

"Someone split the worlds so adults are in one world while kids are in the other." Rogue Shadow explained as he began scanning the cave for any shadows who wouldn't be considered adults. "That means we inherit the plant problem, any under aged cons from Belle Reve, and any mini shadows in this cave while trying to deal with the millions upon millions of things that have gone wrong in this world by the sudden disappearance of adults. I'm sorry team but as bad as things are here the adult world is so much worse. Find Zatanna, Zatara's daughter and get her to locate the magical juncture. Bring Doctor Fate with you. Temi fram." Maxwell's body matured to an eighteen year old and was sent to the adult world.

Rogue Shadow appeared in the middle of an all out brawl between the shadows and Batman. Zatara was lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood in a way that immediately reminded Rogue Shadow of Kent. Rogue Shadow charged into the fray a whirl of shadow and light as his fists and energy beams cut through the crowd but the Shadows just kept coming. _This is getting me nowhere. _Rogue Shadow gathered his mind. There were too many for it to be controlled. _"ENOUGH!" _The mental attack had a similar effect to a bomb. The destruction was uncontrolled and massive. Every Shadow in a three mile radius was knocked out the problem was that everyone in a three mile radius was knocked out except for him. _Great just great. _Rogue Shadow revived Batman.

"What happened?" _Here goes daddy bats. _Batman grabbed him by the shoulders. "What happened to them?"

"A spell that separated the child world from the adult world. The juncture point for the spell needs to be taken out from both sides." Rogue Shadow yawned as the exertions of rapidly aging his own body and mentally knocking everyone senseless hit him.

"Stay awake." Batman ordered as Rogue Shadow started to waver.

"You try aging your body three years in three seconds and tell me if you have enough strength to brain blast everyone in a three mile radius." Rogue Shadow complained as his speech started to slur. "Yust 'ring me 'o 'elle 'eve. 'leep way heir." Rogue Shadow collapsed.

Maxwell was awakened by furious shaking. "What happened?"

"You passed out." Batman stated. "We are here."

Maxwell looked out of the Batplane and saw the prison still intact.

"Good luck."

Rogue Shadow gulped. He wouldn't have given it a second thought if he had been at his prime but he was barely at ten percent. There was only going to be one way he was going to make it out of it alive. One way to victory. So many others to defeat. He had to win.

Rogue Shadow exited the Batplane.

He forced himself to calm down. _You have to do this. No matter how painful._

Rogue Shadow expanded his mind to it's fullest extent. He felt the presence of every life form in a ten mile radius. He let a hole appear in the coverage around Belle Reve. _You can do this. _Rogue Shadow steeled himself. His mind entered the minds of every living thing in his reach.

Rogue Shadow collapsed to one knee. It was tearing him apart but he refused to give in. _You will do this. _He rose to his feet as booms started to fill the air. Rogue Shadow closed his eyes and with him every other living creature with eyes closed them too. The power around him could move mountains and drain seas. It was too much power for one human to withstand but Rogue Shadow had to try.

A crack appeared on the wall facing him. Rogue Shadow pulled out his blades. The crack got bigger. Rogue Shadow dropped into a defensive stance. His molecules were vibrating with the amount of power he was collecting in his body. The energy needed release.

A hole opened. Villains began streaming out.

Rogue Shadow took a deep breath. He attacked.

Time slowed down. He slammed into Mammoth with enough strength to stop a comet. A resounding crack broke through the shouts of surprise as Mammoth's chest caved. "Slytha!" Fifty villains slumped over unconscious but more poured out through the hole in the wall. He slammed his fist into Blockbusters gut. The force of the hit sent Blockbuster through the wall of the jail opening up another hole for villains to pour out of. He launched himself at the Riddler.

That was when the first death happened. It was a small colony of ants at the very edge of Rogue Shadow's range whose energy went first. Due to their mind link Rogue Shadow felt their deaths as his own. _Push through it. You're not dead yet. _"Slytha." Another fifty villains fell insects began dying by the droves. _Gather yourself. _Rogue Shadow gather what he could of his mind and expanded the range of the spell. "Slytha." Everyone in Belle Reve was knocked out. The insects immediately died and were quickly followed by small mammals and birds. The force of ten billion deaths washed over him.

He went down to all fours. Sweat was pouring out of him. His stomach was fighting to release it's contents. All waste left his body. Darkness was creeping into his vision and his heart was palpitating. He was just about to give in when a genomorph picked him up by his ankle and threw him through the prison wall. _No. Not now. _He tried to pick himself up but his body did not respond. _Genomorphs. _

Rogue Shadow was in a dilemma. His link with other living things gave him his strength and was the only thing keeping him awake but at the same time it prevented him from erecting walls around his mind. _This should be interesting. _Rogue Shadow lashed out at the genomorph's minds that were invading his but his other mental exertions prevented him from following the minds to launch an assault against their own minds. The genomorphs took full advantage of his impediment and started using hit and run tactics while Rogue was forced to defend as best as he could.

The larger genomorphs were swarming Rogue Shadow and despite how many he put out of commission with a punch or a kick, two more were there to take it's place. The same could be said for the mental battle as more and more genomorphs entered the fray but unlike the physical battlefield they couldn't be put out of commission.

He thought that things couldn't get any worse but like always it did. Telekinetic genomorphs made their presence known by combining their power to try to immobilize Rogue Shadow. It was working. He was gradually slowing down and that slow down forced him onto the defensive.

Rogue Shadow couldn't think. There was too much noise, too many things that needed his attention, too many parts of him dying.

He was back in the alley. The kicks kept coming but his body wouldn't move. His mind wouldn't react. It was hopeless. He could see the end. He took one step towards it then another. He reached out to touch it. His hand froze an inch from the surface.

"_Your mission is to be the perfect hero."_

"_You are so dead!" Rogue Shadow shouted as he chased Robin around the mountain laughing as he did so._

"_Why did you save me?" Wally asked as he got on his shaky legs. "You're like the annoying brother I never wanted but I got stuck with anyways . Who am I to let that come to an end?"_

"_Why should your appearance matter?" Rogue Shadow comforted as M'gann cried on to his shoulder. She hiccupped. "All of my life, I-" Rogue Shadow interrupted. "The past is past M'gann what matters is the here and now, and right now you have six friends who don't give two" Rogue Shadow caught himself. "about what you look like." Rogue Shadow gave a light chuckle. "Guess that makes us family."_

"_So Superman is still giving you the cold shoulder?" Superboy only grunted in response. "I'll pay him a second visit."_

"_You wanna know why it is easier too be a soldier not a leader?" Kaldur remained silent. "A soldier tends to brushes off all his responsibilities while a leader tends to take responsibility for things beyond their control. Name five things you could have done to prevent Robin from taking the bullet."_

"_I could have ordered him to stay with the crates." "You need someone to scout no one is a better candidate for that except Batman or me." "I could have sent Wally to-" "If Wally left, Artemis would be dead right now." "I could have taken out the gunman on the right first." "The gunman on the left was the more immediate threat and if you neglected him the shot could have been fatal." "I could have taken it."_

"_Here is something you have to understand Kaldur. The leader must put his troops before him and to do that he has to make sure he is protected because without a leader the team will if only for a brief moment fall into disarray. In combat, a moment means life or death."_

"_You are like a brother to me." Artemis confessed. Never before had Rogue Shadow seen her so weak, so small. "I don't want to lose you. Not after I lost so much." "I will always be here and I always keep my promises."_

Maxwell could see the world falling. The Justice league failing. His team dying. It was the future and there was only one way to stop it.

_I'm sorry Artemis but this is the only way. _Rogue Shadow rose to his full height. He broke the last barrier in his mind. Power surged through his veins. He took one last breath. _At least I'm going out with a bang. _Rogue Shadow exploded.

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**And scene. there is going to be an epilogue. I know that i'm going to go back and rewrite this to add in a heck of a lot more detail and side plots but i'm also looking at two pages of story ideas in size five font so i wouldn't hold my breath.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own yj**

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Superman was the first one at the scene.

Everything living in an eleven mile radius was dead. Unconscious villains were strewn across the clearing around Belle Reve. Genomorphs and genomorph pieces were condensed around the edge of a massive crater. The attacks were never for the money, the power, the freedom. They were meant to be a distraction. A chance to fight Rogue Shadow without the league or the team interfering and by the looks of it, they brought everything that they could.

And despite all of that, Rogue Shadow still defeated them. He prevented the cons from escaping Belle Reve. He defeated the genomorph army sent to destroy him. He destroyed the barrier separating the two worlds. But Rogue Shadow didn't stop there, every villain, every monster, every criminal, all of them were blasted into unconsciousness and their locations sent to every electronic device in the world but at a price.

There in the still smoking glass crater Maxwell laid there amongst the shattered fragments of what was once his impenetrable armor. His body was covered in second and third degree burns. His legs were missing below the kneecap on his right and midway down his thigh. His left arm was missing altogether while his right arm looked like more like a shredded piece of rope thrown over a skeleton. The left side of his jaw was missing. Covering his right eye, his nose hung by a thread. Several ribs were sticking out of his chest and exposing his organs and there plain for Superman to see was Maxwell's heart punctured by a fragment of his armor.

It was still beating.

It defied all logic, all sense. Superman did not believe what his eyes were telling him but as the heart continued beating with every beat gaining strength he realized that Maxwell was still alive, if only just and he needed help.

Superman rushed down to him at a speed Flash would envy. He lifted Maxwell's ruined form the best he could while keeping the shards in place and flew as fast as he could to the nearest Zeta-tube.

"It's been six months you know." Artemis said. "Six months since you broke your promise to me." Maxwell's dead body laid only inches away from her by a thick pane of glass. "A lot has changed. North Rhelasia is at war with South Rhelasia. Bialya and Atlantis under Black Manta are the other two superpowers joining the war against the U.N. They are using Apokalypse weaponry. The criminal underworld that you took out when you died cam back. Your statue is almost finished a-"

Her com went off. "We have a mission."

"I am coming." Artemis replied. "Bye Maxwell." She turned on her heel and left.

"Recognized Tigress B07." A flash of light later the Shadow Platform was silent but not empty.

"When a Rogue Shadow makes a promise, we keep it." The air crackled with electricity. "And to help you keep your's." Maxwell's body glowed. "We are giving you a second chance." For a brief moment time stopped. "You will not be getting another chance from me."

Maxwell's eyes opened.

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**This is going to be a trilogy.**


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